Sample leadership reportSample leadership report · executive summary
Leading Through Change: Kick-Off Retreat
Day 1 and Day 2 · A sample report
24
people attended over 2 days
10
questions in this report
The short version
This was a two-day kick-off retreat, and 23 of the 24 managers took part in at least one activity.
The room came to grow, not to study: 18 of 23 said they were here to become a better leader, and not one person picked understanding what leadership is.
That ambition is ahead of the shared language, though. 8 of 21 sorted “Offers to have the hard conversation for them” into the wrong pile, and 6 of 21 missed “Lets the silence sit while they think,” the two cards the coaching model leans on most.
On values, the room split rather than settled, with Trust at 18 dots and Accountability at 17 out of 105. The end-of-program picture is just as scattered, with “Transformed” leading at only 4 of 23.
What to work on next
- 01
Come back to coaching versus rescuing early in the next session. The room mixed up offering to have the hard conversation for someone and letting the silence sit more than any other cards.
- 02
Build the rest of the program around practice rather than more content. Almost everyone said they came to become a better leader, not to learn what leadership is.
- 03
Name the split on values out loud. Trust and accountability finished level in the dot vote, so the group has two anchors, not one, and choosing one now would cover up a real difference.
- 04
Hold the group to the behaviors it named itself: showing up, being present, pausing before reacting and following through. People gave the same answers as takeaways and as commitments.
The room, at a glance
Optional: a one-page visual summary of the day, drawn by AI from the approved report. You check it before it goes in. Tap it to open full size.
What the room said
Open text
So why are you here? Not the agenda. Not what the program promises. Why you.
24 phones answered this one, in a room of 24.
Become a better leader came up most, from 11 of the 24 people who answered.
“I got promoted because I was good at the work, not because I knew how to lead people. I want to close that gap before my team notices it. ...”
“So the people who report to me get a better manager than I had.”
An answer can count toward more than one theme.
Multiple choice
Did you come here to know something, do something, or become someone?
23 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
Most of the room chose “Become a Better Leader (Be).” 18 of 23 people.
Card sorter
Coaching or rescuing? Sort each one.
21 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
The card the room most often had backwards was “Offers to have the hard conversation for them.” 8 of 21 put it in the wrong pile.
Open text
What are the key takeaways from yesterday that you want to carry into the months ahead?
19 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
Pause before reacting came up most, from 7 of the 19 people who answered.
“I can’t control what lands on my desk, but I can control the next ten seconds. Breathe first.”
“Clear roles, a real plan and honest check-ins. That’s how all of us get there, not just the loud ones.”
An answer can count toward more than one theme.
Tabletop
Step 2. As a table, decide the values this group will hold itself to.
6 tables wrote this up together.
Table 1: *Trust Growth Candor Follow-through Humor Fairness Courage
Table 2: *Accountability Respect Honesty Curiosity Teamwork
Table 3: *Respect/Fairness Teamwork Trust/Reliability Learning Balance
Table 4: Wild card - Courage 1. Trust 2. Teamwork 3. Clarity 4. Ownership 5. Growth 6. Patience
Table 5: Teamwork Learning * Accountability Results Support Creativity Respect
Table 6: *Openness Accountability Clarity Teamwork Trust Respect Creativity
Dot Vote
Step 3. Which values belong on our one shared list? Add your table’s, then place your dots.
21 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
“Trust” and “Accountability” came out level, so the room did not settle on one priority. 21 people spent 105 dots across 28 answers. 17 put at least one on this one.
Word cloud
By the end of the program, what do we want people to say about this group?
23 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
The most common answer was “Transformed.” 4 of 23 people.
Open text
What do you expect from this group over the program?
19 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
To leave with a few habits I actually use, and to know who in this room I can call when it gets hard.
Everyone takes something real back to their team. We push each other a little. Nobody coasts.
To grow on my own and as a group. To trust that each of us brings something the others need.
Open text
What actions and behaviors will get us there?
22 of the 24 people in the room answered this one.
Show up to every session. Phones down, fully in the room. Hold each other to the ground rules we wrote today.
Keep a shared action list Small, doable next steps Real deadlines Regular check-ins Help when someone gets stuck
Say what we mean Stay curious Treat each other with respect Be honest even when it’s uncomfortable
Open text
What is your commitment?
24 phones answered this one, in a room of 24.
Show up every time. Be all the way here. Try the thing even when it feels awkward, and change course when it isn’t working.
To use what I learn with my own team the next week, share what worked, and do at least one thing that scares me a little.
To make time for this group and be fully present when I’m with it.
Put together from the room's answers, then reviewed and approved by the facilitator before it was shared. Nothing in this report says who said what, which is why people could say what they really thought. Made with Praxis Live. This sample uses made-up answers; no real person, group or organization is described.